Cordset hank and wrap

ABSTRACT

A packaged cordset includes an elongated connector having a tapered end and an electric cord extending from the tapered end. The cord is hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank and the connector is embraced within the looped cord at one end loop of the elongated hank. The other end loop of the elongated hank is left open. A collar is fastened about the mid-section of the elongated hank and holds the cords at mid-section so that the cord is more closely packed at the mid-section than at the looped ends of the hank.

United States Patent 1 Blais CORDSET HANK AND WRAP [75] Inventor: Maurice E. Blais, Rumford, R1.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Corporation,

Providence, R1.

22 Filed: June23, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 265,685

US. Cl. ..z66 328,2 d6/ 4'6fi [51] Int. Cl 'B65d 85/00 [58] Field of Search 206/46 ED, 46 H, 79

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,031 11/1938 Stuart 206/46 ED X 3,310,623 3/1967 Vaughan 206/46 ED X 2,013,146 9/1935 Goldsmith 206/79 X 3,008,571 11/1961 Bond 206/46 ED 1 Mar. 12, 1974 1,631,756 6/1927 Olin 206/46 ED X Primary Examiner-Herbert F. Ross Assistant E xaminerSteven E. Lipman Attorney, Agent, or FirmPaul E. Rochford [5 7] ABSTRACT A packaged cordset includes an elongated connector having a tapered end and an electric cord extending from the tapered end. The cord is hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank and the connector is embraced within the looped cord at one end loop of the elongated hank. The other end loop of the elongated hank is left open. A collar is fastened about the mid-section of the elongated hank and holds the cords at mid-section so that the cord is more closely packed at the mid-section than at the looped ends of the hank.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing'Figures PAIENIEIIIIAR 12 am 3796; 304

22 /4 FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 W 52 FIGURES II G? W FIGURE 4 50 24 30 I 2 24342536 FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7 CORDSET HANK AND WRAP CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application relates to application of Luther M. Sheldon, Ser. No. 158,072 filed June 29, 197 l now, to

the extent that the connector illustrated is the subject matter of the copending Sheldon application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cordsets as purchased and used in homes, businesses and the like are means for temporarily bringing electric power from permanently wired conventional sources in buildings, as from wall receptacles and the like, to an article such as a fan or radio which needs the electric power to operate. The electric cord of such cordsets is usually flexible and, as the cordset is sold, this flexible cord is wound in elongated loops into an elongated hank. A problem has existed in the trade where such hanks become undone or unwound as one cord becomes tangled with another and the cord displays can become disrupted as attempts are made to untangle the cords. 4

A wrapping for the elongated hank in the form of a loosely fitting collar has been used and helps to keep the cords separate and usually is printed with information as to the price, electric power carrying capacity of the cord and other factual information including the length of the cord.

When the connector and cap ends of conventional cordsets become tangled with others or with the wire of other cordsets the wire is sometimes pulled from the jacket thus depriving a would-be purchaser of needed information about the cordset.

Cordsets can be wound into hanks which do not unwind as for example into the so called clothesline hank resembling a hank of clothesline having one end of the cord wound in spiral fashion about the midportion of the hank.

Some problems have been encountered inuse of cordsets having closely wound portions where the user does not unwind the cordset prior to its use in bringing electric power to an appliance such as a coffee urn or space heater which requires higher levels of electric power. One problem is that the cord becomes heated in the tightly wound section and its insulation melts thus causing electric short circuits and fires. Accordingly, it is desirable that the packaged cord be easily unpackaged so that its first use will be in the extended condition.

So while it is desirable to have a packaged cordset which does not become unwound or separated from its information bearing package, it is also desirable that any tight winding of the cord of a cordset be avoided where this can discourage the user from fully extending the cord prior to initial use and thus avoid overheating through inadvertent misuse of the cordset in its packaged as purchased state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a packaged cordset which resists unraveling in storage and display and yet which can be readily unpackaged and extended prior to use.

Another object is to provide a packaged cordset particularly well adapted for hanging display without unraveling.

Still another object is to provide a cordset adapted for nesting in a bin display without appreciable entanglement with other cordsets in the bin.

The present invention in one embodiment thereof provides a packaged cordset including an elongated connector having a tapered end, and a cord in the form of a parallel pair of insulated conductors extending from the tapered end. The cord is hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank, the loops of cord at one end of the hank embracing the connector, and the looped cord at the other end of the hank being left open for mounting over a hook. A collar is disposed about the central section of the hank and may extend about the wire adjacent the tapered end of the connector.

The assembled cords at the central section of the hank occupy a smaller cross-sectional area than the assembled cords at the looped ends of the hank.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be more fully understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a one face of a packaged cordset incorporating one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the cordset as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the opposite face of DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A cordset as defined herein means a connector with one or more pairs of blade receptacles and an attached cord having at least two spaced parallel stranded conductors of sufficient flexability to be hanked into an extended loop form and to be later unhanked and otherwise flexed numerous times in use. The cordset may or may not have a cap or plug attached at its other end.

The particular connector 10 illustrated in the figures is the subject of a copending application of Luther M. Sheldon, Ser. No. 158,072 filed June 29, 1971 and as signed to the same assignee as this application.

The particular connector 10 has two pairs of blade openings 12 and 14 on one face and a single pair 16 on its opposite face. As taught in Application, Ser. No. 158,072 the contacts of the connector are located in a central plane half way between the faces in which the blade openings are formed.

The portion of the connector 10 which includes the contacts and the blade openings has the general form of a rectanguloid with somewhat outwardly projecting side surfaces 18 and 20 as well as a somewhat rounded and outwardly projection end surface 22. In general a cross-section through the central plane of the connector where the contact strips are disposed has a larger area than the area of either face.

The significance of this outward extension or bowing out of the side surfaces l8 and 20 and/or end surfaces 22 of the connector body 10 will appear hereinbelow.

The connector also has a tapered end section 23 from which an electric cord 26 emerges. Cord 26 is of the conventional parallel conductor variety insulated by an extruded insulation coating resembling two overlapping or intersecting circles and accordingly having the generally flat cross-section of a FIG. 8.

As is evident from the figures the cord is hanked into a plurality of side by side and superimposed elongated loops to form an elongated hank with end loops 11 and The side by side strands of cord as seen in FIG. 2 have the combined width approximating that of the width from face to face of the connector 10, or more specifically the width of the side and end surfaces 18, 20 and 22 of the connector 10. In the illustrations shown, both in the elevation of FIG. 2 and in the crosssection view of FIG. 5, this is generally four cord widths or in other words four figures 8 lying end to end, generally flat against and looped around the side and end surfaces 18, 20 and 22 respectively of connector 10.

With specific reference to FIG. this is a crosssectional view of the packaged cordset of FIG. 3 taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3 but illustrating a reduced number of strands of cord. The strands of cord 24, 26, 28 and 30 have the FIG. 8 cross-section with the individual stranded parallel pairs of conductors 25, 27, 29 and 31 located generally centrally along a mid-line extending through the longest dimension of the FIG. 8

formed of the insulated wire.

It will be evident from FIG. 5 that the strands of cord 24, 26 are positioned where they may bear against outwardly beveled surface 40 of connector and strands 28 and 30 are positioned where they may bear against outwardly bevelled surface 42 of the connector 110 surface 40 and 42 together with ridge 44 making up the side surface 18 of connector 10. While the individual strands may, as shown, stand above the outwardly extending connector surface 40 or 42 amovement of the connector 10 to right or left would bring the outermost side surface or ridge 44 into contact with the strands of cord such as 24 or 30. The connector is in this sense restrained in the embrace of a layer of strands 46 on one side of the connector and a similar layer of strands 46 on the opposite side of the connector.

Also because the end of connector 10 also has an outwardly extending surface 22 a similar restraint of connector movement'can occur from contact of this outward extension of surface 22 with strands of the cord looped around the connector end in close proximity to the end surface 22 of the connector 10.

It will be understood that while it is desirable that the flat strands of cord such as 30 lie with its flat dimension generally parallel to the proximate side surface of the connector 10 this parallel relation of cord to connector side surface is not necessary in order to have the connector restrained from movement.

Considering next FIG. 7 for example it is seen that the individual strands of cord such as 24, 26, 28 and 30 have shifted, to positions in which they are not lined up as evenly as they are in the illustration of FIG. 5. By

lined up evenly is meant that a line extending through the two parallel conductors will intersect also a cord on one or both sides of each strand of the layer.

In other words while a layer 46 of cords 24, 26, 28 and 30 may be formed with the individual cords neatly aligned in the initial hanking of the cord of a cordset into the packaged cordset of this invention, the cords may shift their position from the even alignment shown in FIG. 5 to the more uneven array as shown in FIG. 7, or the cords may initially be hanked into an array as illustrated in FIG. 7.

Such shifting of cord position from evenly aligned to a more random alignment may occur for example as the hanked cord is placed in containers for shipment after the hanking, or is shipped and handled at a retail store as in being hung on merchandise racks or placed in merchandise bins on display for sale.

Considering next the configuration of the cord of the hank at the portion 23 of the connector 10 where it ta-v pers to a smaller cross-section, this configuration is illustrated in FIG. 6;. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the hanked cordset as shown in FIG. 3 taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3 but having a reduced number of strands than the cordset shown in FIG. 3.

The several cords are seen in FIG. 6 to be spaced within a smaller overall envelope than the portion of the cords as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 which are spaced mid-section is accomplished in part by physically. constricting the portions of the hanked loops generally at the mid-section of the loops at the time a collar 48 is placed about the hank and fastened in place. Fastening may be accomplished by attaching a conventional wire staple 50 or staples or by any other conventional means for joining the juxtaposed ends 52 of collar 48.

The constricting effect of a collar such as 48 acting on the mid-section of the hanked loops extends beyond the collar as illustrated in FIG. 3 to bring the several strands of cord into a closer overall spacing than the spacing at the end loop 13 of the hank.

Alternatively the length of collar 48 may be extended to the length indicated by the dashed line 49 of FIG; 1 to dispose one end of the collar around the tapered end 23 of connector H0. The shape of a collar end is shown in phantom 51 in FIG. 6 extending about the several strands of cord including the cord 54 attached to cap 56.

Where a cord length greater than a minimum cord length which forms a single layer of cords such as layer 46 is bundled, second and third layers of cord are formed. These added layers are illustrated in the packaged cordsets of FIGS. ll through 4.

To unpackage a cordset as provided pursuant to this invention the collar 48 may be removed by sliding it toward and over the open loop end 11 of the cordset hank by effectively compressing the cordset loop 11 as the collar 48 moves away from the central portion of the hank and rides up and over the looped strands.

This is quite easy with cords of shorter length as only a single layer of looped cords must be compressed. For longer cords having three or more layers of loops, greater effort is needed to force the collar over the hollow loop. Because the connector is well embraced in the other loop of the hank such compression of the looped cord is not feasible but the collar can slide over this end of the hank by a partial undoing of the metal clasps or staples holding the collar in place. Accordingly, while the collar will remain in placeabout the cord during packing, shipping, unpacking and the displaying of the packaged cord, the collar can be removed quite simply to permit the cord to be unwound and extended prior to use.

For conventional cordsets both the connector and cap hang free from the cordset and these tend to pull cord from the cordset prematurely as the cordset is handled.

The packaged cordset of this invention may be thrown or dropped or agitated or stressed in nemerous other ways without causing the connector to leave the loop of the hank in which it is embraced and without causing an unwinding of the cord, and without having the cap pull cord from the hank.

This is partly because the cap is the lighter of the two end elements of a cordset and it is not as likely to pull cords from the hank as is the heavier connector. Also, as shown in-the figures, the strand of cord to which the cap is attached is in an outer layer of cord of the multilayer hanks such as are shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. When part of such a hank the cord cannot be pulled out because the under layers are compacted by efforts to pull the outer strand and the pull is resisted due to such compaction.

While it is not necessary that the flat cord be wound with essentially no twists in the wire along its length, and so that each of the individual loops lies flat against or generally parallel to the side of the connector which it embraces, the packaged cordsets which have this parallelism of the flat dimension of the cord do have a greater stability against premature uncoiling as well as a greater facility for uncoiling evenly to the full extension of the cord with a minimum of tangling.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a tapered inner end and an outer end and an electric cord extending from the tapered inner end of said connector said cord being hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank, one looped end of the elongated hank having the elongated connector disposed therein and the cords of said looped end embracing said connector,

the other end of the elongated hank being open and adapted for mounting said cordset,

a collar about the mid-portion of said hank,

said collar holding the cords in the central portion of said hank in an area of smaller cross-section than the cords in the looped ends of said hank.

2. The packaged cordset of claim 1 in which said collar extends about the wire adjacent the tapered inner end of said connector to help restrain the connector within said loop.

3. The packaged cordset of claim 1 wherein a cap is formed to the other end of the cord.

4. The packaged cordset of claim 1 in which the cords of the several loops of the hank are parallel.

5. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a tapered inner end and an outer end,

and an electric cord extending from the tapered inner end of said connector,

said cord being hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank,

one looped end of the elongated hank having the elongated connector disposed therein and the cords of said looped end embracing said connector, the cord around the connector having a generally flat crossection and the flat side of the cord lying parallel to the side of the connector which it embraces, the other end of the elongated hank being open and adapted for mounting said cordset, a collar around the mid portion of said hank, said collar holding the cords in the central portion of said hank in an area of smaller crossection than the cords in the looped ends of said hank.

6. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a cord extending from one end thereof the cord of said cordset being two parallel wires of stranded conductor said wires being parallel and spaced within an insulation of a generally flat crosssection,

the cord of said cordset being hanked into elongated loops to form an elongated hank with end loops, the elongated connector being embraced within one of the end loops of said hank and the mid-section of said hank being held to a smaller cross-section than the looped ends thereof.

7. The packaged cordset of claim 6 wherein the sides of the connector which contact the cord of said hank are bowed out. 

1. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a tapered inner end and an outer end and an electric cord extending from the tapered inner end of said connector said cord being hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank, one looped end of the elongated hank having the elongated connector disposed therein and the cords of said looped end embracing said connector, the other end of the elongated hank being open and adapted for mounting said cordset, a collar about the mid-portion of said hank, said collar holding the cords in the central portion of said hank in an area of smaller cross-section than the cords in the looped ends of said hank.
 2. The packaged cordset of claim 1 in which said collar extends about the wire adjacent the tapered inner end of said connector to help restrain the connector within said loop.
 3. The packaged cordset of claim 1 wherein a cap is formed to the other end of the cord.
 4. The packaged cordset of claim 1 in which the cords of the several loops of the hank are parallel.
 5. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a tapered inner end and an outer end, and an electric cord extending from the tapered inner end of said connector, said cord being hanked in elongated loops into an elongated hank, one looped end of the elongated hank having the elongated connector disposed therein and the cords of said looped end embracing said connector, the cord around the connector having a generally flat crossection and the flat side of the cord lying parallel to the side of the connector which it embraces, the other end of the elongated hank being open and adapted for mounting said cordset, a collar around the mid portion of said hank, said collar holding the cords in the central portion of said hank in an area of smaller crossection than the cords in the looped ends of said hank.
 6. A packaged cordset comprising an elongated connector having a cord extending from one end thereof the cord of said cordset being two parallel wires of stranded conductor said wires being parallel and spaced within an insulation of a generally flat cross-section, the cord of said cordset being hanked into elongated loops to form an elongated hank with end loops, the elongated connector being embraced within one of the end loops of said hank and the mid-section of said hank being held to a smaller cross-section than the looped ends thereof.
 7. The packaged cordset of claim 6 wherein the sides of the connector which contact the cord of said hank are bowed out. 